Colliers Lands 2 Michigan Stores for Gourmet Donut Brand

Grand Rapids. Image courtesy of Grguy2011 on Wikimedia Commons

The Donut Conspiracy will open two new stores in Grand Rapids and Grandville, Mich. Colliers International represented the purveyor of ring-shaped treats in finding the locations and setting up shop.

“The goal was to find a good cross-mix between residential/rooftops and commercial businesses,” Mark Ansara, Colliers’ vice president, told Commercial Property Executive. “They tend to fare well when they are in a high-traffic zone and have a lot of residential around them.”

The Donut Conspiracy was previously a one-store operator, opening its first shop in 2017 at Knapp’s Corner at 1971 E. Beltline Ave NE in Grand Rapids. The gourmet donut and coffee retailer contacted Colliers this year as it looked to expand.

“They started looking around and asked for additional guidance, so we continued to work with them,” Ansara said. “Its one location is on the East side of Grand Rapids, and they were looking for something more Southeast and also on the West side of Grand Rapids.”

A former yogurt shop, the 1,800-square-foot Grandville shop already had some infrastructure that worked well for The Donut Conspiracy, including a kitchen, rest rooms and coolers.

The Grand Rapids location used to be a cleaners, so it’s more of a shell that needs more infrastructure work, including the addition of a bathroom and some coolers. The new store in the city’s Cascade area will feature a 1,500-square-foot production facility and an industrial kitchen for production.

The appeal of Grand Rapids

The Grandville location at 3819 Rivertown Parkway, within the Grand Rapids metro area, covers the Hudsonville and Holland markets as well as the South and Sixth Line corridor. The site is directly across the street from the Rivertown Mall, providing ample retail traffic.

“They tend to find that customers flock to them so they don’t need to be on every corner, and the Grandville one was chosen to get the West side of the market,” Ansara said. “The same goes for the Cascade location. They tend to do well in moderate to higher demographics and this market warrants that.” 

The latter location at 6783 Cascade Road is across the street from City Hall. The area is considered a destination for the Cascade charter township.

“It offers high-income demographics, high education and a heavy traffic flow,” Ansara said. “The company believes in Grand Rapids and believes in West Michigan.”

In March, Colliers International brokered a 73,905-square-foot lease for WAFUSA Logistics, which is relocating its Grand Rapids, Mich., business. That month, the firm also represented Schostak Brothers in acquiring a 950,000-square-foot distribution center in Grand Rapids.